Cold and Dark
by alexisalexithymia
Summary: "What goes together better than cold and dark?" This is NOT a Pitch and Jack story. This is a JackxOC story, and the OC is Pitch's daughter! (My apologies for the short first chapter, I want your opinions before I finish it.) Please R&R. I fail at summaries, please read. I apologize for the typos in advance. I am not a robot.
1. Prologue: Death

This is NOT a Pitch and Jack story. This is a story of Jack and Pitch's daughter. Ebony Nightingale Black. Even though Jack is dead and a spirit, he still has human functions like eating, sleeping and drinking. However, it is not required for him to survive. So if there is some slight OOCness, sorry I'm not sorry.

I own nothing except Ebony, I made her.

Jack sat up violently from a deep sleep. He looked around in panic, almost falling off the tree branch in Burgess Forest. He didn't understand. Pitch was gone, for the time being, and he didn't have a nightmare. So, why the violent wake? Why did he feel so empty? Deciding that this was slightly urgent, he headed to the pole to find out if there was something wrong.  
Upon arriving at the pole, he noticed that the other guardians accompanied North inside his workshop. Catching the eye of Tooth, she tapped North on his shoulder. He turned to see Jack, meeting his eyes with a somber look. "What, what is it? Do you guys feel it too," the winter spirit asked urgently.  
"Jack, you must understand. That when you become guardian, you become connected to the children," North informed.

"Yeah, I know all that, but what is this empty feeling I'm having? What's wrong with me," Jack's voice became angry and desperate.

"Jack, that connection is felt in all of us. We have lost a child,"

"Kids grow up every day. They stop believing all the time, but other kids take their place,"

Tooth intervened and placed her hand on the boy's shoulder and spoke in a soft and gentle tone, "A child was taken to quickly Jack; she died."

His eyes flew open and were left wide for a moment, "No…NO WAY! HOW?!"

"We do not know," North interjected.

"Her parents found her at the local grave yard, and no one knows how she died," said Bunnymund.

Frost fought back the tears dancing on his tear ducks, pursing his lips together, he threw his hood over his head, turning, and he flew to the highest window of North's shop and sat there quiet; for the rest of the day.

As the sun started to set Bunny checked on Jack. Deciding to go and talk to his fellow guardian, but how would he go about getting to the top of North's shop? Pondering for a moment, Bunny grinned and produced a great leap from the soles of his feet, planting them on the large globe in the center of the room, only to them bounce onto the relatively large, balcony-like, area in front of the window.

"Listen mate, I know this is the first time losing a child, but-"

Jack cut him off, "You're right it is! I saved my sister! That's why I was chosen, and KNOWING that that child is gone, and I didn't help!..."

Bunnymund's ears folded back in sadness for his friend, and sighed. "Jack there was nothing you could have done mate, no one even knows how she died, so what were you supposed to do? Fight a force you couldn't bloody see?"

The silver-haired spirit grumbled under his breath, averting his eyes away from his companion. The pooka sighed and stood to his feet, tapping his large appendage on the ground, which caved into a round hole, into which he disappeared to the warren.

Later, North interrupted Jack's thoughts, "Jack?" Deciding to interact with other beings Jack floated down to the jolly guardian. The shop was dark. All the yetis had gone to sleep and so had the elves, the only thing lighting the room was the warmly lit candle in Santa's hand. "Come," he gestured Jack to follow him up the steps to a room. Opening the door there was a snug little room with a night stand, a window, a bathroom and a bed.

"It is not much, but I always keep it. You are welcome to stay," the guardian of wonder stared at Jack warmly. The young boy's eyebrows furrowed, opening his mouth to refusing stubbornly, but he stopped. How could he refuse? He was in no position emotionally to be on his own. Saying nothing he nodded once and went straight to the bed.

"Do not worry; I will have yetis make you sleepy clothes in morning, yes,"

A small smile pulled at the corner of Jack's mouth nodding once more, "Thank you, North."

They both said their goodnights, and North went upstairs for some much needed rest of his own. Instead of sleeping, however, Jack simply made small twinkling snowflakes, and made them dance around his fingers. He found himself chuckling a few times, somehow, doing what he was chosen to do always made him happy. Which didn't make much sense; it was the very thing that killed him. This made his face drop with sadness; his thoughts were very dark tonight. Jack never handled death well, especially not his own. After the snowflakes dissipated, he made himself comfortable on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Finding Out

Authors Note: Before we begin it has come to my attention that I have left a huge hole in my story, that needs filling. I am well aware that children all across the globe die for awful and sometimes unknown reasons. So to answer the question, "why is the child mentioned in the prologue so important?" Without adding a religious aspect to the story, I believe there is a plan for everything and the guardians, in my story, are in touch with that plan. They are aware kids die, but they bring them joy for the time that they have. This child was taken tragically and unexpectedly, it wasn't supposed to happen. Thus giving the guardians that empty feeling as described in the previous chapter. The child that was taken also plays a vital role in the story later on; there is a method to my madness. Without further adue...

I own none of these characters in the following story, unless stated otherwise.  
Ebony Nightingale Black is definitely mine though. I apologize for the typos and some horrid grammar. I'm not a robot. Thank you for reading and PLEASE R&R.

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Jack awoke from his sleep to the sound of the workshop ruckus, groaning with frustration he, unwillingly, got himself out of bed. Grabbing his staff, he opened the door his tired eyes blinded with the sight of bright lights on the toys, and other magical objects that floated about. Rubbing his tired eyes, he stepped out of the room, his gaze dancing around the room to find his fellow guardian. Just then, "Jack! I trust you slept well?" "Would have been better if I slept longer," the young spirit retorted. The jolly guardian laughed obnoxiously holding his decent sized gut whilst doing so, after which he rubbed Jack's snow white hair, and then continued on his way. Grumbling Jack fixed his hair, before stalking back to his room. He was halted however, by a small elf tugging at his pant leg. The small creature said nothing, only pointed down the hall to one of the doors at the end. Pulling harder at the fabric, he invited Jack to come with him. "Alright, I'll bite," he muttered; following the elf. They walked together slowly, the pointed head of the small being jingling all the way. Stopping at the door way, the elf pointed at the door knob urgently, encouraging Jack to open it. He complied and let the door swing open slowly. It looked like a boring office. There were thousands upon thousands of files, and papers everywhere. The elf's jingling head broke Jack's train of thought, he was up on a chair, which sat in front of an old desk, and he pointed again urgently on the papers that lay on the table. Jack's eyes ran across the paper, his eyebrows furrowing in curiosity. They appeared to be some sort of record. Of course it would only make sense that "Santa Claus" would have every record of every child in the world, but these old files were covered in dust; they hadn't been touched in years. Why now, and for whom? As his eyes began to take in more information, Jack began to realize this was not just any child; it was the child they lost.

Sitting down at the desk he read the paper work, line by line:

_Name: Ebony Camilla Ruxandra _

_Sex: Female_

_Address: 483 Nightingale Drive, Seattle Washington, United States_

_Birthday: 8/5/1995_

_Date of Death: 8/4/2012_

_Height: 5'3_

_Weight: 124 pounds_

_Ethnicity: Caucasian _

_Misc: Found dead in the grave yard 3 blocks away from the house of residency, no known cause of death at the current time._

Jack sat back in the chair he sat in, his breath seemed to be snatched from him. Pushing the papers aside he found some photos of the girl of both when she was alive, and the crime scene. How North managed to get a hold of these, that Jack would never know, but he had them that was all that mattered. What also mattered: North was just as boggled by this girl's death as he was, and just like him he was determined to find out what happened to her. The guardians couldn't protect her, but the question remained; why? They always answer a cry for help; they feel it in their bones, but why not now? Why not this time?

Frost was interrupted by the sound of North's large boots approaching the door, quickly he found some place for he, and the elf that accompanied him, to hide. Holding his breath he waited for him to enter the room, but much to their good fortune; he passed over the door without entering. Jack let a breath of relief escape him before sneaking out of the room, leaving everything the way it was before he came in. Later, he found the nearest exit, and passed North and bid him a short farewell for the time being. "Where are you going, Jack?" "To see Bunny," Jack snorted with a devilish grin.

Tossing up his hood, he walked outside into the icy elements of the pole, even he had to admit it was quite cold up here; even for him. That was Mother Nature's doing however, not his. Mustering up some energy he flew into the air, beckoning the wind to him. "Wind, to the Warren!," The swirling winds complied gladly to Jack, and with an abundance of laughter Jack rode on its back all the way to the spring-like warren. The wind however, could only take him so far, the Warren was underground. He was taken to a large tree; the tree grew with lush green leaves, and even sat on a large patch of green grass with flowers sprouting out of the ground. This puzzled Jack for a moment, the tree was growing in the middle of a dry landscape, with no water or rain clouds in site and in the middle of he didn't even know where. Although he stopped questioning the possibility of things ages ago. The large hole in the base of the tree leads him to the Warren, he assumed; after all, the wind has never stirred him wrong before.  
Throwing caution to the wind, he jumped inside the hole enjoying the pleasant slide all the way down laughing all the way. At the end, however, he was tossed rather violently onto the soft, plush grasses, landing upside down. He could see Bunnymund, even in his abstract view of his home. "Bunny," Jack exclaimed. E. Aster's ear's twitched, and turned toward the sound of his name being called by a familiar voice; his head soon followed. Hopping down quickly to greet his companion, "Ello, mate. What brings you here," he questioned. "I was wondering if you were trying to figure out what happened to that girl that died a few days ago."

"No, mate I haven't. North told me he would dig up some information, but he won't bloody tell me anything," the rabbit grumbled clenching his paws into a tight fist.

"Well I found somethings out, if you'd like to have a look," Jack's voice softened as he commanded some white glowing frost into the palm of his hand, holding it out to Bunny. The pooka lean his head forward, the youthful spirit's hand pressed gentle between the ears of his furry friend. Upon doing so, Bunny could see through Jack's eyes, seeing everything he saw in Nicholas' office. With a gasp, Bunny pulled away from his touch; shaking his head in an animal-like manner. "That's it? What in bloody-hell are we supposed to do with that information? All we know now is her name," E. Aster's voice rose into a fever pitch. "Wait, you just gave me a brilliant idea," Jack yelled excitedly. "If we didn't know what happened, why don't we just ask the one guardian who saw it all?" Bunnymund looked at Jack with a dumbfounded expression.

Jack's face spilt into a clever smirk,"Man in the Moon."


End file.
